As email marketers we’re all incredibly focused on metrics like opens, clicks and conversions. These simple figures, easily available within analytic tools like iContact’s free reporting tools and Google Analytics, help us justify our investment in email and push the boundaries of the technology through testing.

But email marketing doesn’t need actual engagement (direct clicks) to drive success. The simple act of being seen on a regular basis by your subscribers can help drive increased visits to your website and ultimately lead to more sales.

Take a look at your website traffic in the hours/days following an email send. Even after you factor out traffic generated from campaign clicks, you should still expect to see a spike in visits and other engagements (hopefully sales). This is because your email from address and carefully crafted subject line act to reinforce your brand; they remind subscribers of your existence and prompt them to visit your website. Your most loyal subscribers will do this simply by opening a browser and visiting your website directly when they are ready to read an article or make a purchase.

More sophisticated senders, using advanced tools like iContact for Salesforce or iContact Pro, will easily be able to see if direct sales increase around the time of campaign sends regardless of engagement.

Emailing the Small Ads

In many ways, you can think of email marketing like the small ads in the back of a newspaper. You see that advert for a plumber every single day – but you don’t pick up the phone until your kitchen sink starts leaking. While there might be a number of plumbers advertising for your business, you’ll more than likely phone the one with the most consistent approach to advertising because you recognize the name and their constant presence facilitates trust.